Immigrants: Make them swim with the ponies, too

We are indebted to Dan Rodricks's litany of arduous prerequisites demanded of children of illegal immigrants before they can qualify for in-state college tuition rates ("Immigrants: We detest them — and need them," June 30).

I suggest we treat illegal immigrants like Chincoteague feral ponies. They would have to satisfy all of the above conditions and also participate in the annual swim in the ocean on pony penning day.

Unfortunately many of these individuals might drown or suffer serious injuries in the melee of ponies floundering to survive. But that might be no great loss, according to the intrepid referendum proponents manning sign-up locales in suburban shopping arcades.

Those who did survive would certainly be the pluckiest of the lot and might even be salvageable by our prosperous, monolingual and illiterate -- albeit "law-abiding" -- society.

Exactly what makes Del. Jolene Ivey believe that issuing a license to illegal immigrants in Maryland will guarantee that "they have car insurance" or that "they know not to flee when they're getting pulled over or in an accident?" ("Senate approves two-tier licenses," March 26).

Suddenly, everyone is courting "immigration reform." The 2012 elections unveiled the changing face of America, and this new sensation is causing quite the stir. What a spectacle to see the starry-eyed suitors scramble, now that the long-scorned outcast is revealed to be the belle of the ball.

I suspect it is fair to say that organizer of the petition drives leading to anti-immigrant Question 4 and anti-gay Question 6, Del. Neil Parrott, was absolutely de-feathered ("A referendum on referendums?" Nov. 13).